Matt LeMond and Luke Peavy have done something most restaurateurs only dream about — they've built six thriving concepts in Mobile, Alabama, and kept them running. From the original O'Daly's to Post Downtown, Post on the Hill, Stamped Sandwich Company, Cedar Street Social, and the Insider/Outsider complex, Matt and Luke (along with partner and former MLB pitcher Jake Peavy) have quietly assembled one of the city's most recognized hospitality brands. In this episode, they pull back the curtain on how the partnership formed, how they divide responsibilities, and why their biggest coaching challenge with young managers has nothing to do with P&Ls — it's empathy. They also share what Mobile is missing, why they almost said no to Post on the Hill, and what a trip to Scottsdale taught them about the value of being in the same room.

THREE TAKEAWAYS

1. Culture starts with being a good human. Long-tenured staff in a high-turnover industry isn't an accident. Matt and Luke credit treating employees as teammates — being available when a car breaks down, giving them a voice, and coaching empathy over task completion — as the foundation of their retention.
2. Know your role in the partnership. Their three-way partnership works because responsibilities are genuinely divided: Matt runs day-to-day operations, Luke bridges the kitchen and future planning, and Jake provides big-picture vision. They communicate daily and overlap when needed — without stepping on each other.
3. The right deal has to pencil out. Passion for a concept isn't enough. Matt resisted Post on the Hill hard before the numbers made sense. Their discipline around when to say yes — and when to walk — is a big reason they're still standing when so many others aren't.

Retired FBI Special Agent Dan Sigmond returns to What's Working to discuss his 21 years investigating financial crimes, a remarkable story of how a previous episode of this very podcast helped crack a case, and his new private-sector firm, Special Agent Advisory Group. Dan shares how fraud always comes down to the manipulation of trust, offers vivid case stories ranging from a Jamaican lottery scheme to the "Pepper Spray Bandit" bank robber, and closes with a preview of his next topic: cybercrime as financial crime in a hoodie.

• Fraud is relational, not transactional. Today's scammers build long-term trust with victims — often elderly — before extracting money. The shift from one-time hits to slow, sustained manipulation makes detection far harder and the psychological damage far deeper.

• Most financial crime goes unreported. When Dan left the Bureau, only 40–50% of crimes were being reported, meaning billions in losses — particularly in business email compromise and cryptocurrency fraud — never make it into official tracking systems like the FBI's IC3.

• Internal fraud bleeds slowly. The most significant embezzlement cases Dan worked unfolded over years, exploiting trusted employees with access to financial systems or merchandise. Most companies, focused on revenue and optics, don't know what signals to look for until significant damage is done.

• Criminals aren't masterminds — they're persistent. The biggest misconception people carry is that scams are too sophisticated to fall for. In reality, the tactics are often simple. What's changed is the access to personal data and the ability to personalize attacks at scale.

Mobile, Alabama's development scene is quietly building something significant — and it's being done one catalytic project at a time. Cam sits down with John Ruzic, who helps run day-to-day operations at Porchlight Communities, a small and nimble real estate development firm focused on long-term impact over short-term gains. From affordable housing in Oakdale to the historic Ace Theater on MLK Avenue, John walks through the projects Porchlight is shepherding — and the creative financing, unexpected partnerships, and patient vision required to make them work. The conversation also ventures into Mobile's larger housing challenge: not just a shortage of roofs, but a shortage of the quality and volume needed to compete for the companies and workers the city is trying to attract.

Key Takeaways:

• Housing as an economic tool, not just shelter. Porchlight's philosophy treats new and restored housing as a catalyst for neighborhood vitality — driving school quality, retail, tax base, and the city's ability to recruit businesses and workforce talent to Mobile.

• The Ace Theater redevelopment is a public-private partnership between Porchlight and the Mobile County Commission, using historic rehabilitation tax credits to create a permanent home for the historic Excelsior Band on MLK Avenue.

• The Hoffman Furniture Building on Dauphin Street is Porchlight's most ambitious puzzle in progress — possibilities include a hotel, ground-floor retail, and residential units, all anchored by a deep commitment to honoring the building's nearly century-long history with the Hoffman family.

• Title issues are the hidden obstacle in community revitalization. Clearing title on vacant and tax-delinquent properties — through processes like "quiet title action" — is often more expensive than the properties are worth, and John argues a public-side land bank or redevelopment authority is the missing piece Mobile needs to do this at scale.

• Porchlight is open for partnerships. If you have a property or project idea and don't know how to move it forward, John is willing to have the conversation. Find them at porchlightcommunities.com — a development partner focused on creative financing, civic relationships, and long-term community impact.